Episode Shorts
by Annerb
Summary: This is a collection of short episode based ficlets for GateShip's weekly Wednesday Shorts Challenge. Each one is an independent fic inspired by one episode. Rating varies. Used to be drabbles, but I have a problem sticking to word counts!
1. Entropy

Title: Entropy  
Author: Annerb  
Rating:  Everyone  
Summary: It's hard to keep it together in the dark  
Classifications: Missing Scene (Jolinar's Memories), Drabble (150)  
Season: 3  
Disclaimer: The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-1, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

Author's Note: This is in response to the GateShip Wednesday Shorts "Jolinar's Memories" Challenge

* * *

Entropy

In the silent spaces of the descent pod, she tries to catch her breath, to still her mind, to ignore the terror part of her, long dead, knows is coming. The solitary darkness masks everything and she no longer knows what is her and what is not. She is splintering.

Her vessel meets earth gracelessly, shuttering and groaning. In the following stillness her queasy stomach protests, but she ignores it. She is too intent on the release latch and her trembling hand that hovers near it. She is nearly frozen, overwhelmed by sudden dread. Part of her wants to hide in these black spaces forever.

Then she hears the voices of her team calling her name. She remembers her father. _I am not alone_, she firmly reminds herself. _I am not her_.

After one deep breath, Samantha Carter pushes the hatch open with steady hands.

No one gets left behind.


	2. The Better Man

Title: The Better Man  
Author: Annerb  
Rating:  Everyone  
Classifications: Missing Scene (A Matter of Time), Drabble (300), POV  
Season: 2  
Disclaimer: The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-1, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

Author's Note: This is in response to the GateShip Wednesday Shorts "A Matter of Time" Challenge

* * *

The Better Man

There wasn't a day that I didn't regret it. Not a day passed that my hand didn't itch to grab the phone and call. To beg for forgiveness. But I knew that it would be more for my sake than his, so my hand remained still.

Unsurprisingly, when I finally come face to face with him all these years later, my first impression is that he looks older. He seems harder, his face closed, his eyes shadowed. I can tell that many more unspeakable things have happened to him. Ones not caused by me.

It doesn't make me feel any better.

I don't know what makes me do it, but I find myself trying to justify my actions to him. He easily sees through me and his anger strikes back relentlessly. The man I once called friend maybe never made it off that bloody field. All that's left is a broken shell.

My fault.

But then the blond Captain and the huge, silent man are back and he changes. I see the warmth and intensity in his eyes that I had thought long dead. I see the way his two teammates look to him with complete trust.

He would never leave them behind.

I watch them together, not pretending to comprehend what is coming out of the Captain's mouth. Instead, I realize that maybe he's not so broken after all. I inanely think, 'I made him a better man than me.'

That's why I do it, when the time comes. He would kill himself trying to save me, no matter the past. But I know he is the better man. He's a hero and I can't help but think that part of that is because of me.

But then I let go and there is no more time to think.


	3. Aspirations

Title: Aspirations

Author: Annerb

Summary: Nirrti walks the halls of the SGC and plans carefully

Warnings: None

Classifications: Missing scene (Rite of Passage), Challenge, Drabble-ish

Disclaimer: The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

**_Aspirations_**

She finds the dim walls and crude halls unsettlingly familiar. Last time, she left a prisoner, her plans thwarted by lowly unworthies. But now Cronus lies dead and she walks free. Everything is set right. This time, she will get what she wants.

She smirks as men and women walk cluelessly by her, easily within reach. They are crude in their ignorance, unaware that potential death stands silently only a few paces away. Her hands itch to crack them open and learn any secrets they may hold. Maybe she could finally discover what strange power these Tau'ri have. What drives them to defy their gods where others just trembled for endless millennia? What makes them so special?

But there is no time for such thoughts. She will have to save that project for another time. Today is about the child. Years ago, the child failed in her purpose, forsaking the gift of naquadah pulsing through her veins. But now she is vaguely glad that the child's heart failed to obliterate this worthless planet. She can reclaim centuries of work that she had been forced to destroy. All is not lost.

Her pace quickens in anticipation, one step closer to her goal. And maybe, one day, having donned a new, perfect, powerful host, she can return to these depressing, classless spaces. That time, she will not hide, but give of her careful ministrations freely. She will cut, dig and manipulate. The Tau'ri secrets will spill like blood into her waiting hands.

Then she will be unstoppable. She barely contains a giddy laugh as she slips silently through the endless halls, one step closer to her Hok'Taur. After all, every goddess has to have a hobby.


	4. Compulsion

Title: Compulsion  
Author: Annerb  
Rating: Mature  
Summary: She is his disease, his own personal sliver of insanity.

Classifications: Missing Scene (Shades of Grey), Drabble (200), S/J  
Season: 3  
DisclaimerThe characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-1, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

Author's Note: This is in response to the GateShip Wednesday Shorts "Shades of Grey" Challenge.

_**

* * *

**_

_**Compulsion**_

"No, Carter. I haven't been acting like myself since I met you. Now I'm acting like myself."

The words hovered sharply, long after they were said. He longed to take them back.

The problem was that they were true. And they both knew it.

Before her there had only been a dark attachment to duty and repentance, the undeniable pull of blowing himself up for the good of his planet.

But then she was there, making him, just for a moment, forget.

Now his heart wavers in its devotion to duty, choosing to abandon honor.

She is his disease, his own personal sliver of insanity.

And she knows it.

Which is why neither of them mention the lies and betrayals as he ruthlessly slams into her, her back pushed carelessly against the nearest convenient wall.

He needs the connection, even as he feels the deep compulsion to make her feel, even if just for a moment, the same insanity that plagues him.

He hears her inarticulate cry and feels her nails dig into his back, knowing he has succeeded.

He knows he's not the same, that he never will be.

But maybe the real insanity is that he doesn't care.


	5. Starlight

Title: Starlight  
Author: Annerb  
Summary: The lone Hankan survivor  
Rating: Everybody  
Classifications: Angst, Drabble (150), Missing Scene ('Singularity')  
Season: 1

Disclaimer: The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-1, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

Author's Note This is in response to the GateShip Wednesday Shorts "Singularity" Challenge.

**_Starlight_**

They always promised that when people die, they become stars in the great night sky, able to watch over their loved ones from high above.

The sky should be more crowded now.

Lying on her back in the dry grass, she opens her eyes wide, refusing to blink, not wanting to lose sight of them, even for a moment. They twinkle brightly and she wishes with all her heart to pull them back down. Her hand stretches towards a small group of three stars that dance radiantly together.

Her family.

Maybe everything has switched, turned on its head. Now she is the lone star, watching everyone else live together from a great distance.

Being a star is colder than she expected.

She hopes that if she lies here long enough, she will turn to stone, forever staring at the ageless sky. Maybe then she wouldn't mind the silence so much.


	6. What If

Title: What If  
Author: Annerb  
Summary: Daniel refuses to question.  
Rating: Everybody  
Classifications: Drabble, Missing Scene ('There But For the Grace of God')  
Season: 1  
Disclaimer: The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-1, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

Author's Note: This is in response to the GateShip Wednesday Shorts 'There But For the Grace of God' Challenge.

_**What If**_

Daniel had never been one for 'what ifs,' mainly because they lead to unanswerable questions.

'What if I had done something, anything to keep my parents away from the museum that day?'

'What if I had paid more attention to Sarah?'

'What if I had never worked up the nerve to suggest that the Great Pyramids were unaccountably older than anyone had ever imagined?'

Such questions only highlighted the gaping holes in his life and he couldn't quite decide what would be worse, knowing that a simple change could have made everything better or knowing that his actions meant nothing in the long run.

Depressing, either way, which was exactly why Daniel always refused to indulge in that particular game.

But all of a sudden things are different today and the most bizarre question swirls around in his head as he sits on his dusty balcony overlooking the bustling city of Cairo.

"What if I had said yes to Catherine Langford?"

The words echo discordantly around his cramped apartment. Would Dr. Langford's peculiar offer have changed his life? Could he have been more than a directionless orphan that cringed every time he heard the word 'alien'? Would there at least have been someone for him to call on this dark day, someone who cared if he died?

Stalwartly refusing to glance up in the direction of the looming shadow in the sky that has people running through the narrow streets in panic, Daniel inexplicably knows that this mysterious question is the biggest 'what if' of all.


	7. Breaking Point

Title: Breaking Point  
Author: Annerb  
Rating: Mature (language)  
Summary: It's the last straw.  
Classifications: Missing Scene (Revelations)  
Season: 5  
DisclaimerThe characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-1, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

Author's Note: This is in response to the GateShip Wednesday Shorts "Revelations" Challenge

_**Breaking Point**_

I can't quite explain the overwhelming relief that flows through me at seeing Thor lying there. I'd had no room to feel anything when Freyr informed us of his death, but now I feel more than simple gratitude that a powerful ally is still alive. He has been so much more than that, another brother in this battle.

"You cannot take me with you."

My stomach drops immediately and I look down into his calm face. "Why not?" I demand.

"The link between myself and the Goa'uld ship has not been severed. They will be able to track our position. You must leave me behind."

It's strange that it's only in this moment that my anger finally rises uncontrollably within me; breaking the calm seal I had hidden myself beneath since Daniel's death.

No more leaving people behind.

No more standing helplessly by as a close friend suffers.

No more goddamn loss.

And certainly no more glimmering blue eyes full of tears that she is too strong to let fall.

It's the goddamn last straw and I absolutely refuse to step back one more inch in the name of this god forsaken war that seems to have no end.

This is the breaking point where I can no longer pretend that my best friend isn't, for all intents and purposes, lost forever. I can no longer pretend that my refusal to show even an ounce of emotion isn't tearing Carter apart, that I hadn't abandoned her just as surely as Thor wants me to abandon him now.

No more sacrifice. Fuck the greater good.

Bring it on, Anubis. I'm toeing my final line.

But the universe has a different idea, lending me another moment of benediction and grace that I am pretty certain I don't deserve.

"We've got company," Carter's steady voice informs me. "Three Asgard ships."

I close my eyes and release a long breath.

You really have to love those Asgard.


	8. Possibilities

Title: Possibilities  
Author: Annerb  
Summary: Looking beyond the dome…  
Rating: Everybody  
Classifications: Missing Scene ('Revisions')  
Season: 7  
Disclaimer: The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-1, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

Author's Note: This is in response to the GateShip Wednesday Shorts 'Revisions' Challenge.

_**Possibilities**_

Kendrick wonders what children see when they look at the sky. Maybe they see patterns in the clouds or just speculate about what's beyond them. He knows that his sky is nothing more than an illusion, holding back a toxic tide of their own making. But when his son's eyes travel upward, there is something there, something more than simply gazing upon a programmed memory of the way it once was. Nevin sees the possibilities, rather than the limits.

Nevin had always been different, but the arrival of the strangers just serves to highlight this fact. He can feel his heart constrict when his son clings to them and the exciting potential for something different that they evoke. His child's eyes widen as they speak of endless planets of oceans, forests, deserts and jungles.

"When I grow up, can I be an explorer?"

Kendrick swallows the briefest moment of bitterness in the knowledge that he can't provide this future, choosing instead to simply be grateful that this opportunity has presented itself. He will embrace the chance for a new life in the name of the bright spirit of his son.

Maybe they can both learn to be explorers.

* * *

"I'm going to be a gardener, like my father."

Nevin's words grate across his skin. Kendrick knows he should feel pride, but instead he is overwhelmed with a sense of disappointment that he can't quite explain.

Nevin's gaze is tied to the rough gravel beneath his feet, his fingers playing absently with the leaves of a nearby bush.

Tearing his eyes from the inexplicably disturbing form of his son, Kendrick feels the pull of the vast sky. Leaning his head back, he desperately searches for something in the wispy clouds.

All he finds is the claustrophobic press of loss.


	9. Nahkti

Title: Nakhti  
Author: Annerb  
Rating: Everybody!  
Summary: The thoughts of Apophis' host  
Classifications: POV, Angst, Missing Scene (Serpent's Song)  
Season: 2  
Disclaimer: The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-1, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

Author's Note: This is in response to the GateShip Wednesday Shorts "Serpent's Song" Challenge.

_

* * *

Nakhti_.

_Nakhti_.

_Nakhti_.

For as long as eternity has stretched, that single word has been my only thought. It blots out all else, subsuming every emotion and sensation. But now, eons later as the demon finally releases its last clinging hold on my body and everything begins to clear, I finally remember the meaning behind those hypnotic syllables.

Strength.

But I know that it is not a mantra of vigor; it is not a reminder to fight the one who has stolen my life and squeezed my soul into oblivion.

_Nakhti_.

It is not an admonition, but a name. My tether to sanity during my long imprisonment.

Everything she is, was, will be; it is all still anchored to that simple word, the only thing that remains of me.

She has long black hair that falls to her waist. On long winter nights she lets me brush it for her, lets me revel in the feel of it flowing over my palms. She watches me with warm dark eyes that display fathomless wisdom and compassion. Her fingers, calloused from the loom, touch skin as if in worship, and when she gently sighs it is as if the gods themselves wept with bliss.

I can still see her, holding our child to her breast.

I ache to hold them again. To feel the roughness of papyrus under my hands. To have her laugh and tease me for my ink stained fingers.

I call out, even as I cannot help but be aware of the time that has passed, the things stolen by the monster that used me. There is no hope of them coming to me. I know this, even as I call out to them.

A man with strange circles covering his eyes promises me that this will end, that soon I will walk through the seven gates to reach eternal life with my family. To have my soul judged by Anubis' scales and sit at the feet of Osiris in the afterlife. But I know what Osiris and his kind truly are now. The beast has taught me cynicism and I no longer know what to believe.

It does not stop me from clinging to the _ka_ statue the strange man brings me, praying for it to take my soul back where it belongs. Or at least what is left of it.

I know I am dying and I cling to the memory of my Nakhti, praying she will remember me. And that somewhere, beyond the lies of the vile possessors, there really is a place for my beloved and me to sit together and watch the joyous play of our progeny.

Darkness finally falls…and I am thankful to finally be free.

I am coming, my Nakhti, I am coming.

* * *

The pounding of blood through my veins and the rasp of air in my lungs bring me back to awareness with a scream rising violently in my throat. But the scream never finds purchase in the real world because my body is, as ever, not my own. 

At first I think the beast has followed me into the afterlife, but then I begin to comprehend the humming, impossibly bright light that surrounds my body.

We are reborn.

The man with circles on his face…he has lied to me. It has not ended.

And I finally realize the truth.

This will never end.

_Nakhti_.

_Nakhti_.

_Nakhti_.


End file.
